Method and apparatus to use geographical maps in a board game by separating the game into 2 components, namely a topic-board and a player-board, both used side by side in the game

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a mechanism to separate a board game into two components, namely a topic-board and a player-board to provide a method and apparatus to use geographical maps in a board game. The topic-board can be any geographical map specified in the game. The specified map is used to answer questions or perform directives specific to the game. The player-board records the player&#39;s progress after the player answers questions pertaining to the topic-board. Player-boards can have many different formats. This invention increases the use of generic geographical maps in a board game and increases geographical skills of players as they move toward winning the game.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of my earlier filed provisional applications to include Application No. 61/008,082 dated Dec. 18, 2007 and Application No. 61,009,503 Dated Dec. 28, 2007.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to a method of playing a geographical game using geographical maps that are readily available. Geographical maps do not have to be altered to play the game.

Since geography does not change, geographical maps do not change, whether they are new or old. Therefore, a game calling for a world map can use any world map. A game calling for a map of the United States can use any map of the United States. Images of specific landmarks, buildings, regions, states, time zones, treasures are provided on the question cards rather having to be printed on the topic-board map.

Traditional board games have one board to play the game. A player answers a question and then moves the appropriate number of spaces on the board. The name of the board is generally the tide of the game. Each player has a different color or shape of marker, all placed on the same board, with everyone moving forward to win the game.

Maps are generally not used in board games because paths or spaces would have to be printed on the maps for players to record their progress. Doing so would ruin the integrity of the map and costs would be prohibitive. Therefore, maps are generally not used when playing board games.

Board games have become an important recreational pass time in the life of Americans of all ages.

BACKGROUND DETAILS

Geographic Awareness Week was instituted by an act of Congress in 1987 to draw attention to the need to improve geographic literacy in the United States. Eric Digest, 1989-08-00

The poor performance of young Americans on the poll underscores the results of the 2002 study in which Americans scored second to last on overall geographic knowledge, trailing Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan and Sweden. PTA.org, May 2006

In the past few years, an enormous amount of research has revealed that the despite the barrage of news coverage about the Iraq war since it began in 2003, six in 10 young Americans ages 18 to 24 cannot find Iraq on a map of the Middle East, according to a new National Geographic-Roper Public Affairs 2006 Geographic Literacy Study. Two-thirds do not know that the catastrophic October 2005 earthquake that killed 70,000 people struck in Pakistan. More than four in 10 can't even place Pakistan in Asia. Roper Survey, May 2, 2006

Geography is seen as a basic, even boring, curriculum area that has to be covered in as little time as possible in order to get back to doing more interesting activities. The DfES Excellence and Enjoyment Strategy for Primary Schools urges them to ‘take a fresh look at their curriculum, and think actively about how they would like to develop and enrich the experience they offer children’ (2003). Primary geography: is it falling off the map? Teaching Expertise.com

Mywonderfulworld.org provides resources to help kids become smarter about their world, including geography games. The coalition is appealing to parents, caregivers, educators and students to find ways to alleviate this lack of skills in geography.

As families are rediscovering the joys and virtues of staying home and entertaining, board games have surged in popularity. Boardgamescentral.com.

DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART

The patent application Ser. No. 07/712,249, filed Jun. 7, 1991 (Method of playing an educational geography game, U.S. Pat. No. 5,150,907), requires a geographical map with travel routes drawn in lines on the map, interconnecting locations to which the player owns an access right.

The patent application Ser. No. 05/679,901, filed Apr. 26, 1976 (Card and board map game, U.S. Pat. No. 4,029,321), utilizes a board containing a map of the world divided radically into a series of zones. The cards used each contain the name of a nation and the flag of a different nation.

The patent application Ser. No. 07/741,092, filed Aug. 6, 1991 (Method of playing a board game, U.S. Pat. No. 5,129,649 uses a game board having all fifty U.S. state flags depicted together with groups of contiguous states.

The patent application Ser. No. 07/746,980, filed Aug. 19, 1991 (Geographical board game, U.S. Pat. No. 5,135,231), is a game apparatus which includes a game board providing a playing area which simulates the geographical area of the United States with each of the 50 states outlined and identified. Each of the states contain one or more pairs of directional arrows for travel for a game piece.

The patent application Ser. No. 07/579,948, filed Sep. 10, 1990 (Method of playing a geographical map game, U.S. Pat. No. 5,009,430), is a game for teaching the skills of geography and history utilizing a map of the major continents of the world. Game markers are provided for the players and a series of blocks surround the map, indicia on the blocks comprise secondary directions for movement of the game pieces.

The patent application Ser. No. 05/660,485, filed Feb. 23, 1976 (Educational world map game, U.S. Pat. No. 4,052,072), an educational world map game adapted to be played on a pachisi-like game playing board bearing the world continental areas with countries marked off and lines of playing spaces to be traversed by playing pieces, counted off in numbers according to the roll of dice and directed by a drawing of a card or playing piece showing the country shape in one of the continental areas.

Each of the above patents specifies a geographical map that has been altered to meet the specifics of the game being played. Once altered, the map becomes part of the game and cannot be used for other purposes. The map is sold as part of the game because it is designed specifically for the game. Generic maps readily available in schools, homes and recreational areas cannot be used in any of these patented geographical games.

DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

The embodiment of this invention separates the topic-board from the player-board. This separation opens up the possibility of using existing geographical maps as topic-boards, along with a wide variety of pre-printed player-boards.

This invention provides a mechanism to make geographical map games more appealing because of the complexity and intrigue of the player-board.

The topic-board may be sold with the player-board, or may be sold separately. If sold separately, the game will include the name of the geographical map to be used with the player-board. If the player-board needs a world map, then directions will be included to secure a world map to play the game.

Each player-board package will identify the map necessary to play the game and whether or not the map is included with the player-board package.

Maps found on walls in a school, recreation center, house, or any existing geographical map may be used as the topic-board when the player-board identifies a particular map to use.

For the purpose of the present invention, the player-board may have different configurations and formats:

-   -   preprinted paper or cardboard with spaces to move from a         starting point to an end point     -   molded plastic board with holders for cards, treasures and         objects collected and maintained on the player-board     -   box with player-board pre-printed on top that has drawers for         player's tools, gems or other sets of object that have to be         collected to play the game.     -   solid piece of wood or molded plastic pegboards to record moves.     -   hand held electronic playing board.     -   Player-board configured to coincide with the topic-board: star         constellation topic-board may have a player-board in a star         shape, Egyptian Pyramid topic-board may have a player-board in         the shape of a pyramid.     -   Directives will be found in four sets of cards: Geography,         History, Landmarks, and Mish Mash. Images of the topic of the         question or directive may or may not be included on the card.

For the purpose of the present invention, players will answer questions referring to the topic-board when they take their turn. Questions may include using latitude and longitude to pinpoint cities, waters, regions, capitols, mountains, oceans, stars on a constellation map, planets in the Solar System. A compass may be used to locate directions. Rulers may be used to pinpoint areas using the map scale and legends. Treasures may be the objects of a search on the map to be collected on the player-board. In each case, the questions will be found in one of the four areas: Geography, History, Landmarks, and Mish Mash.

Cards may give the question and provide up to 5 clues for the player. A player who needs no clues can move the most number of spaces after answering the question. The more clues needed to answer the question, the fewer spaces the player is able to move on the player-board.

Topic-boards may include two topic-boards, side by side, that are compared and scrutinized for errors in one or both of them. Players will find the errors to respond to questions. Topic-boards may be maps or art pieces.

After taking a turn by following a directive pertaining to the topic-board, the player moves the defined number of spaces on his player-board. Since the player-board contains obstacles, traps and hazards, the player may end up in a trap or holding area until he is able to move forward.

For the purpose of the present invention, the board game may be played online with or without interaction with other online players of the game.

The player performs the directive by selecting a card and answering the question or performing the directive on the card. Then the player turns to his player-board to move the correct number of spaces called for on the card. If the player lands on a trap, he must perform additional tasks before finishing his turn.

If the player lands on a maze-trap, an hourglass timer may be used as the player tries to find his way through the maze, stopping and marking the spot when his time is up. Player-boards may include a series of maze-traps.

If the player-board is a maze, the player will move as far as he can until the hourglass ends. At this point his turn ends and he places his marker at this point and begins his next turn at the same point.

Player-boards may consist of a number of different steps that must be completed before winning the game. Steps may include moving along the player-board but completing mazes or other obstacles as they are called for when landing on a trap, on the player-board, thus making the game as challenging as desired by the players of the game.

Topic boards may also include blueprints, and reality settings.

The game can include any number of players, each with their own player-board or teams sharing one player-board.

The embodiment of this invention includes several other embodiments of topic-boards and players boards that are included by reference in this document.

DEFINITIONS

It is advantageous to define several terms before describing the invention. It should be appreciated that the following definitions are used throughout this application.

Where the definition of terms departs from the commonly used meaning of the term, applicant intends to utilize the definitions provided below, unless specifically indicated.

Wikipedia defines a board game as a game in which counters or markers are placed on, removed from, or moved across a board. The board is a pre-marked surface usually specific to that game.

For the purposes of the present invention, the term topic-board refers to a map, blueprint, or any other topic-board that is identified and referred to when performing the directives in the game.

For the purpose of the present invention, the term player-board refers to a pre-printed board used to record the player's progress in the game. Player-boards may include spaces to move from the beginning to the end, to move from side to side, to move up or down, to collect sets of objects outlined on the player-board and/or to solve puzzles or mazes pre-printed on the player-board to complete and win the game.

For the purposes of the present invention, the term topic-board map can be a geographical map of the world, continents, United States, regions of the world, constellation of stars, galaxies, Solar System, Sunken Treasures of the World, map of the oceans or any other area map.

For the purposes of the present invention, the term topic-board blueprint can be a blueprint of any area, including a house, school, church, interior or exterior drawing of a battleship or pirate ship, government building or any other blueprint that may include scales and legends to interpret the blueprint.

For the purposes of the present invention, the term topic-board art can be a photograph of a piece of fine art such as a painting or sculpture or any other object to be analyzed by the players of the game.

For the purposes of the present invention, the term topic-board reality setting can be a reality setting such as the space in which the players are playing the game: family room, backyard, traveling vehicle or any other reality setting found in a video, TV, game board.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a player-board in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, wherein the player-board is for use with a world map that includes traps and mazes to be completed;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of an additional pattern of a player-board in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, wherein the player-board has squares to place gems as they are collected during play and traps that will cause the player to forfeit gems;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of an additional pattern of a player-board in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, wherein the player-board uses a reality setting with alphabetical letters used as symbols on the playing board with directions on how to proceed if the player lands on one of the letters;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of an additional pattern of a player-board in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, wherein the player-board is electronically operated.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of an additional pattern of a player-board in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, wherein the player-board is located on top of a box that stores the player's tools and objects needed to complete the game.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of an additional pattern of a player-board in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, wherein the player-board is in the shape of a star with a maze that must be solved. The player is given a certain number of seconds to move within the maze after answering a question. When time is up, the player will mark his place and begin here at his next turn. Appropriate for constellation of stars topic-board. Star tokens may be collected when questions are answered without using clues.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of an additional pattern of a player-board in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, wherein the player-board is a pyramid shaped maze. The player has a certain number of seconds to move within the maze after answering a question. When time is up, the player will mark his place and begin here at his next turn. Appropriate for Egyptian Pyramid topic-board.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of maze that will need to be solved to win a game. The mazes are added to create more challenge for the players. This maze is circular in shape.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of maze that will need to be solved to win a game. The mazes are added to create more challenge for the players. This maze is circular rectangular in shape.

All documents, patents, journal articles and other materials cited in the present application are hereby incorporated by reference.

Although the present invention has been fully described in conjunction with several embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that various changes and modifications may be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications are to be understood as included within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims, unless they depart there from.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

Many geographical maps have been stored for years, lying dormant because they are considered boring and useless. Children and students in the United States are lacking geographical skills because geographical maps are not being used. This invention brings new life and vitality to geography, a subject that is lacking in the United States.

This invention uses existing maps that require nothing more than to be brought out of storage to become the center of attention in this board game. The player-board takes on a life of it's own with many configurations and options.

Entire families, neighborhoods, and schools can compete with renewed interest in geographical maps, but most importantly, geographical games will become affordable for all families because the most important component of the game—the map—does not have to be purchased each time a game is purchased. Any map of the world, map of the United States, map of the Universe and other geographical maps specified in the game, may be used.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details outlined here or to the arrangements of the components set forth in the descriptions or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. 

1. I claim the legal description of the invention as a method and apparatus to use geographical maps in a board game by separating the game into 2 components, namely a topic-board and a player-board, both used side by side in the game. 